Placer River

[Winter Project]

Anyone know a route we can take that isn't considered Skookum drainage? That is bull****. Like homeslice says... those helicopters can get lots of places we cant..... Anyone part of the snowmobile association or know how to get this reversed? Or are we SOL?

 

[rmanzek]

a couple of photos from the weekend. wish we woulda got more jumpin pics but didn't wanna stop on the killer day on friday. thanks HYFLYR for taking at least some photos. got some more from AK1000M.
photos, me doin a lil drop, arctic1000m, akunderground jumping, and climbing, then chad, and i comin over the main hill jump.

 

[rmanzek]

photos up in Squirrel Flats Sunday, ugly weather. but its riding.

 

[homeslice]

Anyone know a route we can take that isn't considered Skookum drainage? That is bull****. Like homeslice says... those helicopters can get lots of places we cant..... Anyone part of the snowmobile association or know how to get this reversed? Or are we SOL?

there are a couple backdoors into skookum but I guarantee the minute the chopper pilot sees a sled hes going to get on the horn with the ranger.

I would say we are SOL, losing the battle slowly as more and more areas get closed. There are a ton of ways to get involved, the AAOA (AK Outdoor Access Alliance) etc. I always write emails/letters to the feds when they publish their new "plans" for the CNF. They also hold open comment forums which the XC skiers outnumber sledders 3 to 1.

 

[AKboondocker]

heli skiers pics

Got a couple shots on Saturday of the heli skiers that landed near us. Notice how in the close up they are all staring at us, was pretty funny. Got a couple shots of c-bolt as well.

 

[akmc800]

went today. good light 2 feet ontop of concrete.

Showin' up some old men, ahaha

 

[I_boondock]

Spring has sprung

 

[akmclean]

Im gettin the 180 down. Placer was great but someone tore up skookum within the last few days. Real cool.

 

[dragonladyak]

Squirrel Flats

It was SWEET!!!!

 

[Powdown]

??? any one got a good site for snow reports for placer???

 

[dragonladyak]

I tried to get some air!!!

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=32297338

 

[Puff_N_AK]

Im gettin the 180 down. Placer was great but someone tore up skookum within the last few days. Real cool.

Great, someone riding in a closed area. Just more fuel for the fire, the greenies and CPG will take note of that. I hope it was worth it.

??? any one got a good site for snow reports for placer???

http://http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/chugach/glacier/advisory.html

 

[akpowderhound]

Is that place really closed? Alot of people there saturday if it was. Pull outs were full, I doubted they really closed it!

 

[Puff_N_AK]

Is that place really closed? Alot of people there saturday if it was. Pull outs were full, I doubted they really closed it!

No the Placer Drainage, Spencer Glacier, Squirrel Flats are all open. Its just the Skookum Drainage that is closed. If You click on the link on my last post and go down far enough it tells you Placer is open, but in parenthesis it has except Skookum Valley. Thus every time someone ignores it and goes back there it can give ammunition to those who want it closed, look the snow machiners don't stop going in there.

 

[AKkatz]

No the Placer Drainage, Spencer Glacier, Squirrel Flats are all open. Its just the Skookum Drainage that is closed. If You click on the link on my last post and go down far enough it tells you Placer is open, but in parenthesis it has except Skookum Valley. Thus every time someone ignores it and goes back there it can give ammunition to those who want it closed, look the snow machiners don't stop going in there.

The real issue here is how do we fight those who closed it? My understanding is that it's closed for the Heli-skiers? Umm that's a laugh-why the hell would the skiers need a whole valley, and why do they NEED one of the best areas that we can access? I mean I'm pretty sure that helicopters can go any where they please... we only have realistic access to the very front of the mountains, whereas they can fly one ridge back and be in no-mans-land...here are some ideas,
1) a rule (which some would break, of course) that in Skookum sleds aren't allowed up on the sides of the mountains higher than 100 feet. That way we're not ruining he slope for the skiers.
2) Access with a special permit, cause $ talks! I'd pay $50 to ride in Skook. all year....
Not perfect ideas but better than what we've got now.

 

[akpowrider]

The F.S. claims Skookum closes April 1 for crust skiers. I feel they do it for the heli dicks. Skookum used to be open until Placer closes until 3 years ago. Please take pictures if the Heli's drop skier groups above sledding groups. I have seen it 3 times this year. It is really dangerous and illegal but they continue to do it anyway. They often will do it in Seattle Creek (wtf did they get Seattle Creek anyway?) and Skookum. We already lost Bench because of them (heli dicks). If we are armed with photos of them dropping groups above sledders it could be a way for us to get our areas back. They heli the sh!t out of these areas because it means way cheaper fuel costs for them. They have a massive area to take clients but our areas are closer and cheaper. Again, please take photos when they drop groups above sledders.

 

[RamrodAK1]

Amen to that. We had skiers come right through us and the heli knew we were there. And yes it is due to fuel costs.

 

[IQRIDR]

The F.S. claims Skookum closes April 1 for crust skiers. I feel they do it for the heli dicks. Skookum used to be open until Placer closes until 3 years ago. Please take pictures if the Heli's drop skier groups above sledding groups. I have seen it 3 times this year. It is really dangerous and illegal but they continue to do it anyway. They often will do it in Seattle Creek (wtf did they get Seattle Creek anyway?) and Skookum. We already lost Bench because of them (heli dicks). If we are armed with photos of them dropping groups above sledders it could be a way for us to get our areas back. They heli the sh!t out of these areas because it means way cheaper fuel costs for them. They have a massive area to take clients but our areas are closer and cheaper. Again, please take photos when they drop groups above sledders.

I've had them do it to me a couple times this spring as well, mostly in the placer area (skookum and squirrel flats). I'll be taking pictures from now on, I didn't know it was illegal but had an inkling something wasn't right about it. Then the skiers had the nerve to angrily wave their poles at me while I was climbing the slope they dropped in on, which was, the whole time, occupied with sledders.

 

[AlaskaSnowSafaris]

Please, please, please stay out of Skookum after April 1st as we can't afford to loose anymore areas. When they did the revision of the Chugach National Forest master plan, we were out numbered over 3 to 1 durring the public comment period and we lost a lot of ground that year. The currnet plan/closed areas will not even have a chance to change again until the next revision of the master plan. Until then, please don't break the rules and lets all encourage some self policing and if you see anyone going in, try to stop them and infom them about the rules. And if its me stopping you to let you know, there is no need to be a ****** A-hole about it!

I will try to post when there are FS meetings and public comment periods. For example, the FS is having a public comment period now about summer motorized use on the twentymile river. On this thursday evening at 7pm they are have all user groups who have an interest in the river show up in GWD to speak about use on the river and safety. They are trying to have as many rafters and pac-rafters show up to voice their concern about power boats on the river and how un-safe it is. They are even speaking about possible HP restrictions and/or permit use only (both commerical and private) after they finish their study this summer.